this little piggy ...

Good thing this little piggy went to market yesterday, before it got clobbered by a chair. Anyway, injuries aside, welcome to my experiment!
I'm thrilled that I have a few happy campers/January austerity enthusiasts. *Claps hands wildly*
As promised, forthwith I give you the master grocery list for week one, which starts TOMORROW! I know you’ll already have many of these items in your refrigerator/pantry, but maybe not. Also, as far as exact amounts, I’ll leave that up to you. Maybe you’re cooking for one. Maybe five. So.



PRODUCEEnough greens for ten salads/sandwich stuffings, etc. I like to mix it up. Mache, bibb, red leaf, romaine, etc.A bag of cuties or another sort of orange/tangerine – type citrus fruitThree white or yellow onionsTwo bulbs garlicA couple green applesFruit for smoothies. Berries/bananas, that sort of thingAt least four lemonsTwo limesEnough sweet potatoes for three mealsKale (you knew that would be on the list, right?)Chard (colorful!)A couple carrotsCeleryMushroomsGreen onionsA couple tomatoesSome red potatoesAn array of colorful peppers: one of each, perhaps
DAIRYPearl mozzarellaFeta cheesePlain Greek yogurt
CEREALS & GRAINSOne box of pasta (whole grain or made from quinoa preferred)Sprouted wheat English muffins (I like the Ezekiel muffins, cinnamon raisin is my fave)Rice cakes!Rice (you can get brown rice but it doesn’t agree with me, so I bought Lundberg Basmati/Wild rice)One loaf Killer Dave’s multi-seed bread or an equivalent hi-pro, low-carb breadCorn tortillas or wraps
PROTEINCarton of eggsTwo meals worth of fresh fish (cod, halibut, salmon, tilapia… whatever’s fresh)Two cans of water-packed tunaOne jar crunchy almond butterTofu – two packagesSliced turkey from the deliTwo different types of ground meat (I chose wild boar for one of mine!)Beans. Canned or dried or ready made. Your favorite types enough for three mealsA bag of raw cashews (bulk section)A bag of raw almonds (bulk section)
FROZENA couple of Amy’s single serving burrito type thingiesApplegate, gluten-free chicken breast tenders – one or two boxes
CONDIMENTS/ETCBuying jam? Make sure the fruit is listed firstOlive oilVinegars (I’m keen on coconut vinegar – it’s like apple cider vinegar. Also, balsamic – but check out the calories/sugars and use sparingly)MustardMayo (sparingly, of course)Butter (again, sparingly)A variety of herbs and spices, particularly curry/turmeric/cinnamon/ginger/basil/tarragon/oreganoHot sauceTamariHummusHoneyCoffee/teaJar of spaghetti sauceFruit-first jam (see picture)Almond milk (a couple of cartons)Chicken (or veggie) broth – one or two cartonsTREATSSo, I’ve built in three one-serving treats a week. Your choice. Maybe you’re an ice cream fan? Maybe you love chocolate? Maybe just a handful of ginger snaps will do? Whatever your poison, it’s all about portion control, right? Here’s the caveat though. Week one, if you really want to “jump start” your movement away from excess, do without the treats and add them in on week two. Okay?
300 calorie breakfastTHE DIET. DAY ONE. (Jan 1st)Okay, ladies we’re aiming for this 3/4/5 calorie breakdown (gents, you get to add 100 calories to each meal. Another way in which life isn’t fair). I stole the idea from the 7 Years Younger book.Breakfast: 300 Lunch: 400 Dinner: 500(add 200 – 300 calories of snacks in after week one)Oh yeah, and drink your water! Seriously. Water!
BREAKFAST1 Ezekiel muffin, toasted1 tbsp almond butter; 1 tbsp fruit-first jam1 tangerine
LUNCHGarden Turkey Sandwich w/ Lemon Mayo (2 ounces turkey/1 slice bread/1/2 tsp mayo mixed with squirt of lemon/1 tsp dried cranberries/couple of chopped cashews/celery/lettuce)1 Apple
DINNERPoached fish (bake your 4 ounce filet in parchment paper with drizzled olive oil/tarragon/garlic/lemon)Roasted sweet potatoes/red potatoes mixture (3/4 cup)1 rice cake (you can spread up to 1 tsp almond butter on it, or hummus)Large salad (greens/red peppers/almonds) with homemade oil/vinegar dressing (below)
Suzy’s Salad DressingI’ve made this for years. 85 calories a serving, I usually make 3 servings at a time:6 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar1 Tbsp Olive Oil1 Tbsp Honey1 tsp lemon juice1 clove chopped garlic1 tsp mustard(I heat the honey/garlic/mustard in the microwave for 15 seconds, then add the rest of the ingredients)
Happy New Year! Clink your last glass of champagne with me tonight. Comments/hints/other ideas/links are welcome!